


Untitled

by dandelionandburdock



Series: Untitled [1]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Apocalypse, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-14
Updated: 2012-11-14
Packaged: 2017-11-18 16:30:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/563067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dandelionandburdock/pseuds/dandelionandburdock
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Apocalypse AU prompt</p>
            </blockquote>





	Untitled

  
Louis will always regret not telling Zayn how he feels about him before _that day_. Before the epidemic broke off and his best friend and his entire family were taken into the Facility only because one of his sisters was coughing.

_34 days._

It’s been exactly 34 days since Louis last saw him, his warm brown eyes staring at him with disappointment. _“You promised not to tell,”_ they were saying. _“You promised to keep it a secret._ ”

“I didn’t tell,” Louis wanted to scream even now, at the mere memory of it. “I didn’t break the promise, I swear.” But that would be no use – Zayn is gone, his whole family is gone with him, Louis’s all alone. And he wishes that he had spoken up back then.

***

It’s been 42 days. He might not even be alive by now.

The Louis before Zayn would’ve laughed at the Louis now; the Louis before the epidemic would’ve laughed along. But they don’t exist anymore; here is only the Louis that secretly fell in love with his neighbor Zayn, that secretly loved his best mate Zayn, and that secretly mourned the love of his life Zayn.

This Louis is now standing in the hospital where his mother works, looking at his chance to have Zayn back. Or more like to join Zayn.

A small capsule, filled with transparent liquid, with a small print on it. Louis can read what it says even from where he’s standing. For moment he wonders how this has ended up here. His mother’s hospital is a virus-free zone – they don’t handle infected, they don’t even have medicine for the virus.

Then why would they have the virus?

But Louis quickly dismisses all logic. All he cares about right now is that this is his way into the Facility. This is his way to Zayn.

He could get himself infected with the virus – it would only take a quick shot, and he can steal an injection at any time.

What about his family? His mother and his four sisters? What happens to them if he does it?

***

He finds the solution faster than he expects (he’s a smart lad but never has never been good at making decisions). His time is running out, he knows that. It’s been 46 days since Zayn was taken in. He’s probably dead by now but Louis doesn’t stop hoping that somewhere, deep in this building, he’s still alive and breathing.

Louis’s hope is stronger than hanging on a slim chance. In fact, it’s so strong that he decides to take the shot with the virus.

But he doesn’t do it at home or in public – he doesn’t want to get anyone else involved.

The 47th day of Zayn’s “departure” is the day of Louis’s routine virus check. All the nurses taking care of him are well protected; the whole room is well protected. He can’t hurt anyone but himself.

He does it when they leave him alone to undress. Louis has spend the whole night thinking about the decision, making sure that he’s completely prepared to do it.

He is not but he will never be anyway.

It takes a second for him to inject the virus and a minute for one of the nurses to come back and see the injection and the small capsule in his hand.

“What have you done?” she whispers, terrified that someone could cause this to himself. The only response she gets is Louis’s gaze, filled with determination.

***

The first few days Louis spends in a small room in the Facility. No one even speaks to him – they just leave food for him and then take back whatever remains. (It’s not even people, but a machine, a small open that opens automatically at specific hours.)

Louis hates the small room. It’s white and clean, and it reminds him of a room in a rehab that he has seen in a film before _that day_. He hates it because it swallows every sound he makes – even when he screams or tries to have a conversation with himself, just to keep himself entertained; silence reigns in his room. He also hates it because it makes him think. It makes him think about his decision (regret), about his family (regret, pity, pain), but mostly about Zayn (love, love, love, pain).

He wants to get out of there.

They finally get him out.

***

Louis is infected – they are sure now – so he is finally put into the group of virused, as they write them down in registers. _Condemned_ is the right word, he learns on his first day out.

He finds out that these people function as a small society on its own. One that’s going to be gone soon, but aren’t all societies heading to their demolition anyway?

The Facility has its own districts, regions, and areas. It doesn’t really matter where you’ll end up – it’s completely random. It only matters if you’re infected and how badly. If they doubt that you’re infected, you stay in the Asylum, as they call it. If you’re entering the last days of your life, you go in the Other world – a place no one knows anything about but they call it that anyway, as no one has went there and come back.

Louis is given some work to do – he’s put in a small bakery with some kid, Harry, who actually seems happy. Well, less miserable than the rest of their district. The two of them quickly bond and Louis is glad that he doesn’t feel completely alone. Harry kind of becomes his family as both of them turn out to be the singular cases in their families from before.

At first Louis looks for Zayn secretly from Harry – he goes around and asks about the Maliks, about the beautiful part-Pakistani boy with the warm brown eyes. He doesn’t get any information though.

It’s hard to hide the tears of desperation.

***

Louis slowly opens up to Harry and finally shares his story – how he had ended up here and why. Harry takes it calmly and offers his help.

“I’ve been here from the beginning anyway,” he says. “I probably will have to go soon. So why not help a mate?”

***

It takes two weeks for Louis to get any information. To be honest, he isn’t even looking properly anymore; he’s just convinced that Zayn’s dead anyway.

Harry rushes in the small room the two of them are sharing (they managed to swap places with two guys who couldn’t tolerate each other a week ago) barely breathing, trying to say something with a speed way above his average.

Louis jumps out of his bed and runs to his friend.

“Harry, calm down!” He helps him to sit on the only chair in the room. “Calm down and tell me what happened!”

Harry’s still breathing heavily; he tries to suck in enough air to talk. But all that comes out are parts of words. “…’ayn… ‘ami… ‘ere…”

“Harry!” Louis’s voice is firm and commanding. “Calm down.”

The younger boy finally takes a breath deep enough for him to say, “Zayn’s family is here.”

***

The next few minutes are a blur for Louis. He remembers rushing out of the room, down the small white corridor, and Harry screaming behind him to wait for him. Then, suddenly, Harry’s leading him to somewhere, though the square that they call market center, through some more white corridors, to the end of their district, where there is a big white door with a sign on it “Malik”.

Louis can’t believe this. Is it real? Or has his mind already decayed to the point where he’s hallucinating.

Harry’s calling his name, but he doesn’t answer; he still cannot process what’s happening.

Zayn. _His_ Zayn might be alive. He might be alive, a few inches away from him, behind this door, breathing.

The door opens – Harry’s been calling Louis’s name so loudly that the people inside have heard him.

It’s him. It’s finally _him_.

With a beard on, with weary eyes. But _him, Zayn_.


End file.
